The Red Roller Blind

Monday before Christmas...

...and a stroll along the entire length of main shopping streets between Boscombe (as in exploding beach sunrise couple of days ago) and Southbourne, taking in Pokesdown too.

This is the deprived 'east-end' of Bournemouth, with lots of derelict and disused shops. Large number of charity places, second-hand furniture 'emporiums' and off licences. Boscombe has a serious drug problem and the odd murder is not unheard of. Snobby folk like my brother wouldn't dream of even driving around here, let alone walking along and snapping anything remotely interesting.

I snapped quickly and efficiently. Aided enormously by the HSM (silent, fast) focussing of the Sigma EX 24-70mm f2.8 lens I used throughout (on old full-frame D700). No-one asked what I was doing. Shop fronts and even a few people. With its multi-ethnicity the area sure provided with a varied array of food shops. There were also some quite amazing oasis's of pots of gold - antique shops and boutiques, some where real flair and colour had flourished, in the sea of desert-like retail morbidity.

It was cold and grey and one of those days where you didn't hang about. It's as if the very atmosphere itself had a heavy cold. But, go in a good mood and you see the good bits - and relish in the bad - photographically speaking, that is.  I was able to shoot handheld with the fast Sigma well into dusk but once total darkness had fallen by 5, I was ready for my bus home.

I came away with a nice little collection of images but in the end, I went for bold urban symmetry, rather than an interestingly written message or quaint shop front. I felt nicely satisfied at my task and a couple of hours on a rubbish day spent as well as was possible, considering.